Ginger had emergency surgery...
Ginger had to have emergency surgery recently. I had to rush her to the emergency clinic, she was gagging and then I felt her abdomen and it was distended. When I got there I told them I think it's bloat and they quickly too her to the back. They did an x-ray and she had gastric torsion so they had to do emergency surgery (actually they told me to choose between surgery or euthanasia because Ginger is 11 years old...) They said she might not survive the surgery because of her age...
Bloat is a medical condition that dogs get, they're not sure of the exact cause. It's basically what it sounds like, the stomach bloats (fills with gas) and it is a serious condition for dogs. Gastric torsion is a problem that sometimes comes with bloat, where the stomach then twists, cutting off the blood flow and digestive flow. The only way to correct it is with surgery to untwist the stomach and then secure it into place to prevent it from twisting again.
Thank goodness, she went through the surgery well, there was no tearing of the stomach or nearby organs. They did find that a section of the intestine near the stomach was also twisted, but when they fixed the stomach and intestine the color returned quickly. I picked her up in the morning to bring her to my regular vet because the ER closes at 8 am. She did well throughout the day and even was able to eat some canned food while at the clinic.
My regular vet had me bring her home that evening because there is no one at the clinic overnight.They said we had to watch her for complications, especially heart conditions which can develop after surgery. The next day I took her back in to my vet for a re-check and they did an EKG to check her heart. It was normal. She has been doing well since then, she had one more vet visit to make sure her recovery was coming along and they said she is almost out of the woods. She is doing a lot better now but is still working on recovering.
Bloat is a medical condition that dogs get, they're not sure of the exact cause. It's basically what it sounds like, the stomach bloats (fills with gas) and it is a serious condition for dogs. Gastric torsion is a problem that sometimes comes with bloat, where the stomach then twists, cutting off the blood flow and digestive flow. The only way to correct it is with surgery to untwist the stomach and then secure it into place to prevent it from twisting again.
Thank goodness, she went through the surgery well, there was no tearing of the stomach or nearby organs. They did find that a section of the intestine near the stomach was also twisted, but when they fixed the stomach and intestine the color returned quickly. I picked her up in the morning to bring her to my regular vet because the ER closes at 8 am. She did well throughout the day and even was able to eat some canned food while at the clinic.
My regular vet had me bring her home that evening because there is no one at the clinic overnight.They said we had to watch her for complications, especially heart conditions which can develop after surgery. The next day I took her back in to my vet for a re-check and they did an EKG to check her heart. It was normal. She has been doing well since then, she had one more vet visit to make sure her recovery was coming along and they said she is almost out of the woods. She is doing a lot better now but is still working on recovering.